Indianapolis – Colts owner Jim Irsay announced on Twitter that the team has released safety Bob Sanders.
“We thank Bob [for] all his incredible contributions from his Super Bowl pic to [defensive] Player of Year honors,” Irsay wrote.
Sanders has been with the team since 2004, but has been dogged by injuries throughout his career.
In 2007, Sanders signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract, but has played only nine regular season games in the last three years.
The Colts later released this statement:
“We have released Bob Sanders today. We thank Bob for all his incredible contributions, from his Super Bowl interception to his Defensive Player-of-the-Year honor.”
Sanders, a second-round choice of the club in 2004, started 46 of 48 career games, totaling 373 career tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, three fumbles recovered, two fumbles forced and six interceptions. He earned NFL Defensive Player-of-the Year honors from the Associated Press in 2007. Sanders earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2005 and 2007 seasons.
“I want to thank Mr. (Jim) Irsay for the opportunity to play with the Colts,” said Sanders. “I appreciate all he and the organization did for me throughout my career, and I always will consider myself a Colt. I want to thank the fans also for their great support. They played a big part in making my seven years with the team very rewarding.”
